This is so much more than a bookstore! Yes, youll be overwhelmed with the sheer amount of books to choose from, including new releases, old favorites, children books and books written by local authors but youll be surprised at how much more youll discover when stepping foot inside the Open Door! This is a one-stop shop for gifts for anyone regardless of the occasion. Stop in and see what youve been missing!

This is more than just a bookstore. Its an experience. Definitely try it out and hang out on Jay St.

I sincerely enjoy visiting this book store. It has such a cozy feel and I love the way things are laid out and organized. They have such a great selection and I look forward to coming back every time.

Decent book store with a lot of little extras too. Staff was super nice. Small selection though

A local treasure! Ive loved this place my whole life

Its hidden gem in Schenectady that I wish more knew about. Great service with a good selection of books. If they dont have it they are more than happy to order it for you.

I love this bookstore. They have a good selection, but more importantly the staff is great.

I love this shop! Did some much needed Christmas shopping 🛍 🎄 Found beautiful earrings for my mom and fun activity books for my freinds kids! Their loyalty program is one I actually use, and their staff is super helpful. If they dont have a book theyll order a copy for you quickly.

This bookstore is okay. I can understand the 5-star reviews if this is the only independent bookstore youve been regularly exposed to. I think its charm is somewhat overshadowed by overzealous staff. Shopping here is almost always a stressful experience for me. It has a great childrens section but the adult fiction leaves a lot to be desired, only a few classics. Most of all, I think the staff needs some better training. They watch you like a HAWK. My father was so uncomfortable. There are ways to make sure theft does not occur without making your patrons uncomfortable, especially when we noticed other patrons or regulars were not being hounded. My parents really wanted to shop local but left because the staff was so obviously watching us. I have spent enough money here to get the rewards freebie three times, we are not looking to steal. The aisles are small, not really the shops fault, but very hard to shop during COVID. Hard enough with other patrons, but on the occasions Ive come, it has been staff members needlessly blocking the way or not even acknowledging me to make room. Theyve closed off one of the entrances so the only way to exit is by going through a zoo of patrons and through the entrance you came in. Overall, Im taking a break from here. I wish them well, but my last experience made me so uncomfortable.

Schenectady is lucky to still have a community bookstore. The staff is incredibly friendly and very helpful. If they dont have it, theyre very welling to order it.Treat yourself and visit Jay Street, grab a cup of coffee, browse a book, and support our local businesses.

Great independent bookstore. Terrific book buyer, great selection.

Always love going here. Their staff is friendly, and their stock is unique. Worth the prices, variety of local and global imports. The bookstore is terrific, and has a great updated selection. Stop by if you love to #ShopLocal !

A nice selection and the people were friendly

A charming shop. The book collection is small but eclectic. The other stuff is well curated. Sure hit for gifts.

Always a warm welcome, always a good selection of gift ideas, and an ACTUAL bookstore where you can hold a book in your hands. Kids toy area makes me wish I was little. Great all around

The cutest bookstore.

Quaint bookstore with a very good supply and selection of books and gifts. The sales staff is helpful and friendly.

Cute bookstore and giftshop, has good bargains in the back.

Staff was very friendly and helpful. Found a few good books and didnt break my wallet. Nice store. Well maintained and they practice good social distancing.

Love this store! I always find that perfectlittle gift for a special occasion. Now in the days of Covid they were very careful to social distance and wear masks.

This place is absolutely adorable and all 3 staff I interacted with were very kind and helpful. I actually didnt end up purchasing anything during this visit (they had what I was looking for, I had just decided against the purchase.) I had been sent there from another local shop to poke around for Schenectady specific items and they had a very nice section of books about the area and also some from local authors. They also had a section for local made gifts and goods. I would love to go back when I have more time to spend there. Im glad I went, I feel like this place has been here for so long and I always said one day, one day. Well one day came and I was definitely not disappointed.

A small, community bookstore with great customer service. They are familiar with current books, their stock, and where to find items. I also enjoy browsing their selection of non-book items when Im in the area.

The Open Door has been a staple of downtown Schenectady for years. It is located on Jay St., a small street that has shops and restaurants that ends at Proctors Theater.The Open Door has a wide selection of new books and bargain books, with cards indicating reviews by owners and patrons. The staff is very knowledgeable and friendlyIf they dont have a book, they will order it. Another fabulous feature is the gift shop side of the Open Door. They have quality items for anyone on your gift list.The Open Door also is abiding by all COVID rules.Of youre in downtown Schenectady, treat yourself to a browse at the Open Door!

This is the best bookstore in Schenectady. Its a combination gift shop and bookstore and both sides have great selections, reasonably priced. Staff is knowledgeable and helpful. Although its small, compared to a warehouse bookstore, that is part of its charm. Its not overwhelming and you can enjoy browsing through their collection. They are very supportive of local authors and carry books of local interest.

This book store is quite unique, veryclean and very organized. Loved the atmosphere. Have a very good selection of books. Will be returning very soon!

They have all the books and other things you may be looking for. Thanks again!!!

Open door is a beautiful bookstore that has very unique gifts, presents, food and the best books. Its a one stop shop for me and my family. Its always a lovely surprise when I go there. You never know what you may find. The staff are very friendly and knowledgeable. If they dont have the book your looking for then they can order it and call you when its in. I love the open door.

They were able to order me the book I wanted, warning me, just to be transparent, that it might not come before Christmas; but that theyd call me when it came in. A couple of hours before closing on Christmas Eve, they called and said it just arrived. They offered to add some nice tissue paper if I needed to gift it that night. I arrived three minutes before closing (as I notified them, as I was a distance away when they called) and they had it right there. Checkout was super quick and done before they closed.

I love this book store. Very good service. A great gift shop and a great book store all in 1 place. I enjoy shopping close to home supporting small businesses in my area.

Its worth a trip. Few stores left that provide this experience. Great gift selections.

Fantastic selection of unique gifts and popular books. A real independent bookstore. Helpful staff. Enjoyable shopping experience. Atmosphere is welcoming and warm.

This bookstore is full of surprises. It carries many novels that are on trend, but has hidden gems all around. Definitely worth checking out

What a delightful place this is. I special order all my books here. Yes I know I can order them online but that would mean that I would miss supporting our local businesses and I would miss Lils smiling face! (She is the person that places my special orders). A wonderful establishment just for dropping in and browsing.

Great independent bookstore with an excellent selection and friendly staff.

30 year plus customer! Open Door is my go to for gifts for Mom and wife. Love the discounted book selections. Relaxed atmosphere, employees always nice and helpful.

Always a pleasure to stop by and check the new titles.

The opening door book store is a great shop on Jay St. They offer several specialty sections from local authors to employees Choice. They have a good size selection of childrens, fiction, mystery, travel and interest sections. I personally like the local section. You can find out new things about the area you would never dream of. Great store to bring children. My Daughter loves this book store

Went in for gift for baby shower...this place is perfectly lovely!

Friendly staff. Unique finds. I was surprised to find things to purchase and that Ill be going back. These types of stores (or shopping in general) arent usually my thing.

Love this store. Good variety.

Unique gifts & great books~ fun atmosphere!!

Open Door is a great local bookstore in the lovely pedestrian-only Jay Street in Schenectady, NY. Good selection of books, knowledgeable staff, nice gifts as well.

A truly charming small-town bookstore thats filled to the brim with personality. Every time I visit this place I cant help but wear a smile the whole time. In addition to books, they also have a wonderful assortment of gifts and useful knick-knacks that are regularly changing and are always interesting to look through. If youre looking for a gift for someone special (including yourself!) I cant recommend a better place in the whole area.

Love this place! The staff is always so friendly and helpful. They have a great gift shop in addition to their lovely book store, too!

Ive loved this place for a long time and just made my first trip since the pandemic started. They seem to be doing a great job of keeping customers and employees safe.

I always enjoy this small but large in both spirit and great selections of items from books to speciality soaps. I have gone here a few times. I have bought books and gifts and I bought a local Schenectady light bulb shirt that I love from this place. I love the rewards program that they have here too. Make sure you sign up. The staff here are really nice and pleasant and helpful. One cool thing about this place is that they sometimes get guest authors to come for book signing . I just love this place.

Amazing bargain section. Will order any book you want! Fun and funky jewelry I often fall in love with. Unfortunately, the quality is really inconsistent. Some of my favorite pieces broke after the first few times worn. Stick with the books and youll be golden.

I would highly recommend this store, if they do not have the book they will order it if it is available. Good place. Excellent customer relations.

This is the cutest little bookstore. Its small enough that its not overwhelming, and theres a real personality to it. They sell a lot of local books and local gifts, along with more mainstream books you would find in a bigger bookstore. The items they sell are also clearly curated, and not chosen at random. They also sell autographed copies of books at no extra price to the customer. The employees are very nice, and always willing to help. They seem happy to be at work and it makes it a wonderful store to shop at.

Love this store!! I live over 150 miles away but was visiting Schenectady and I have a thing for bookstores...Love that they have a staff recommended “wall” with reviews, helped me out a lot in choosing books based on what I’ve previously read. Everyone in the store was extremely helpful and sweet. My boyfriend purchased a pin for me that fell off my bag and contacted them and they mailed us a replacement. Cannot say enough wonderful things about this store and the staff! Can’t wait until I’m back in the area to visit again and get more recommendations!

The only new book store left in town. I mean, they dont carry used books. There is some kind of souvenir/handmade jewelry store in the second room I am not familiar with. As for the bookstore, they have two great sections that I can recommend. If you turn to the right immediately after entering, there is a local interest shelf lovingly curated by the staff. Mostly local guides, but also truly esoteric and cool books published locally. Like a self-published book by a former General Electric PR lady spilling the tea on Jack Welchs dirty secrets (Rebuilding the GE House Jack Blew Down (👹!) by Mary Kuykendall - BTW a fascinating read!). Another section is in the back of the store and sells all kinds of overpriced smart toys for kids under 5. We couldnt resist and spent a ton of money there when our son was growing up. There is an epic play area for little kids in front of the store as well. Bulk of the store is the usual bestseller stuff - mostly at full price - I am worried about their chances to complete with Amazon: they may need to differentiate themselves more in the future to survive. Overall, a great place to visit and patronize, especially if you have kids under 5 and interested in local topics.

The staff here is always friendly and helpful, their hours are convenient, and their selection is good. I particularly enjoy the staff picks for books. They always give me an idea of what book I want to buy next.

Attentive staff that will gladly order any book that you dont see there. Also an attached gift boutique featuring local artisans. Perfect for grabbing unique gifts and shop locally.

Family friendly. Amazing YA books childs toys fabulous fun fine gifts

Excellent book store and gift shop on Jay Street. Great place for both children and adult gifts. Excellent for browsing when you arent exactly sure what you want. Very friendly staff.

Great book store with a nice bonus gift shop as well! Good prices and good variety. Cashier was kind and helpful!

Amazing local shop! And so much more than books!

Love this little store!! Many unique books on the shelves as well as some very neat crafty items and toys!

Love this store. So many unique items. Great place to get gifts

What a surprise. Great staff, lots of help. Loved spending more time than we thought we would.

Amazingly helpful and passionate staff, super charming and cozy. Its so nice to have a great bookstore nearby. Thank you.

Such a cute quaint bookstore with a TON of unique gifts and local companies products.

I love this place -- every town needs a little bookstore like this. I hope more places like this can make it and see a revival. Really nice -- definitely stop in.

Lovely store, great book selection and the gift shop has constantly changing great merchandise, I have been giving a gift certificate to their store for a child gift as they have a great toy and puzzle selection too.

Great little book store. When you see books you hadnt heard about that you are into, you know you have a winner.

Awesome store. Everyone loves the books I get from there . PS they have a lot of other cool stuff.

Great locally owned bookstore. Can order books if their not in stock.

The place you can find the perfect gift. Books, jewelry, housewares, accessories...all unique, unusual. I love it.

Always great local bookstore attached to local gift store. Friendly staff, unique items, and, of course, great books.

Independent book and giftstore, the buyer has excellent taste. Love.

Delightful local bookstore and gift shop. Wishing I lived closer, I would visit often.

Nice store. Unusual items. Helpful salespeople. Good experience.

Nice quiet location. Good selection of books. Friendly staff!

My wife, who patronize tons of bookstores, loves this one.

Ordered astounding science fiction october 1953. Came in eight days to UK. Excellent condition as advertised very well packaged.so excited

Nice place, decent customer service but not my cup of tea in kind of books they sell.

Really nice independent book store. The staff is very knowledgeable and they also have tons of nice gifts

Very friendly, nice place and very helpful. Great gifts and books.

I love this place - the ambience is low-key and welcoming, the books and other products (knick knacks, hand creams, soaps, etc.) are high quality and their personnel & customers are genuinely friendly. An all-around pleasant experience, every time.

Lovely small shop fun to wander in book and gift shop- ordered a book I was reading for a lecture

Its a nice little bookstore with lots of other stuff to buy. The staff is very friendly, they have a rewards program and they will order books for you.

I love visiting here when Im in town, you can always find a great gift! And my daughter loves the little play area!

Love the fact that it isnt a chain, and still has a great selection!

Always find something fun and new every time I walk in here. Its my one stop shop for gifts.

Ive been going to The Open Door since I can remember and it is always a great experience!

Cute little book store/ gift shop.

Nice store. Great selection. Friendly staff.

Quaint corner bookshop and gift store

There are very few small bookstores still around and there is good reason for Open Door Bookstore to be among them.

Wonderful bookstore and great gift shop. Feels good to buy local.

I love going here, it feels very welcoming when you first step into the store.

What a great place to find and view good books, the staff is always friendly and helpful with great recommendations.

Awesome independent bookstore. You can find many liberal politics, art, and childrens book here. Including novelty gifts.

A place to go and relax. Great selection of books and gifts. Number 1 book store.

Reading is fundamental visit and show some love give a book a new home

Fantastic independent local bookstore with great selection and knowledgeable staff.

I found a great philosophy book in hardcover for $12.00!

I love the atmosphere the employees are all helping nice and make the experience amazing

Alot of books great place.

Such a neat gift store..wide price range